9 Community Gardens That Make An Impact (Tell Us About Yours)

Whether in the backyard of a school or spanning acres of a neighborhood, community gardens are crucial to contemporary life. These edible landscapes can exist in urban, suburban or rural green spaces and grow vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. According to the National Gardening Association, 1 million new food-specific gardens will be planted this year. In the last year, over 7 million gardens were planted in the United States. With this abundance of gardens, we here at HuffPost Green decided to investigate some of the most impressive community gardening efforts in the nation.

We've put together a list of some of the best community gardens in the country but we know it's far from exhaustive. So we want YOU to send in pictures of your favorite community gardens.

 

Know a great community garden that's making a difference? Send us a photo and tell us about it by hitting the "participate" button.

Find a picture, click the participate button, add a title and upload your picture

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Liz Christy Community Garden (New York City, NY)

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The Liz Christy Community Garden is New York City’s first community garden. Notably, the community garden is located on land that once belonged to Peter Stuyvesant, Dutch governor of New Amsterdam. Founded in 1973 by Liz Christy and the Green Guerillas, a group of gardening activists, the garden has become an important symbol of green life for New Yorkers. Today, the garden hosts vegetable, berry and herb mini gardens along with a wildflower garden, a grape arbor, and birch and fruit trees.

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The Liz Christy Community Garden is New York City’s first community garden. Notably, the community garden is located on land that once belonged to Peter Stuyvesant, Dutch governor of New Amsterdam. Founded in 1973 by Liz Christy and the Green Guerillas, a group of gardening activists, the garden has become an important symbol of green life for New Yorkers. Today, the garden hosts vegetable, berry and herb mini gardens along with a wildflower garden, a grape arbor, and birch and fruit trees.

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More: Find a community garden near you. Or start your own using The Daily Green's gardening guides.

Read up on gardening tips from the American Community Gardening Association.

Comments

[pollinate truth]

07:33 PM on 08/26/2010

You'll go hungry for anything fresh in Dallas, Texas. Community gardens are ILLEGAL in Dallas County. Yes, ILLEGAL for a community to grow FOOD,

Be careful, don't disobey the law now. The penalty is severe. Don't for a minute forget that EVERYONE carries a gun and they know how to use them.

And this is the home of education reform, the birthplace and scripting of our pathetic new "education standard" occurred in this undernourished vacum of paved prarie.

This is really true. So, be thankful for the birds & the bees & the flowers & the trees, & the bounty which surrouds you.

[Mitchel Yaciw]

07:34 PM on 07/27/2010

see www.theunitygardens.blogspot.com for photos and a unique framework of sharing food throughout the community.

[Catfish1968]

01:54 AM on 07/24/2010

Yeah Kihei! (Number 12)

[The Lawyer]

11:42 AM on 07/23/2010

I recently wrote a piece about the next door lot and its metamorphosis from a moldy old house falling in on itself to a full blown community garden. It may serve as a recipe of how to make a community garden work.

http://madmikesamerica.com/2010/07/a-community-garden-is-born/

[Moshe]

12:57 PM on 07/22/2010

When we forget how to garden we forget who we are.

Humans are gardeners, and the more we distance ourselves from our gardens, the more troubles we will have, and the less human we become.

If you can do only one thing to help create a better world for yourself, your family, and for us all, start a family or community garden.

Shalom to all.

[HBHB]

01:17 PM on 07/22/2010

Well you can't grow cheese doodles, so...

[slevydc]

07:35 AM on 07/22/2010

I support Washington, D.C.'s Virginia Park Community Garden and so should you!

On their facebook page there is a link to a petition one can sign to show official support. It would only take a minute and could make a big statement.

[Seth Teicher]

02:20 PM on 07/22/2010

I'm with you, Sam. It's a beautiful garden and has been an important part of uplifting a formerly derelict community. You can see a great video about the garden on Grist.org here: http://ow.ly/2fcXv

[Tyrione]

02:12 PM on 07/21/2010

I'd love to see more of this in our nation. Bring back the local fresh market squares.

[yemaya]

05:51 PM on 07/21/2010

It's happening! Just in my city, there were three markets started just in the last couple of years alone.

[Matthew Harrold]

06:50 AM on 07/22/2010

Can't argue with that, though fortunately in the UK the local produce markets never died out, and are now starting to find strength again. There's a lot ot be said for growing your own fruit and veg too.

[organicconnect]

01:11 PM on 07/21/2010

There's a family in Pasadena, California that have made their home garden open to the public to come and view it. It is a local phenomena because it is only 1/10 an acre yet produces 6000 pounds of produce annually, all of it organic. http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/2010/07/urban-homestead-local-organic-and-in-the-city/

[lrobb]

01:30 PM on 07/21/2010

Born and raised in Pasadena. Lived there from 1947-1966. Graduated PHS and one year PCC before entering UC system. Love the place, but no one in the middle class who left could ever afford to come back. Tackle that problem at the same time as you feed the homeless!

[yemaya]

02:16 PM on 07/21/2010

that was inspiring! thanks for sharing :)

[redcelt]

12:22 PM on 07/21/2010

Austin looks like tomato Guantanamo- lol!

[lrobb]

12:10 PM on 07/21/2010

Does anyone have a link to a website on how to start a community garden? Our subdivision has a power line running through it which is accessible from the back gates of every home on the line plus the street The only rule for this land is that the plants cannot impede electrical distribution. For years I have sown wildflower seeds and had amazing and beautiful results. As I am now semi--and involuntarily--retired in my early 60's I would like to make far better use of the space. As I am willing to extend my well-watering system to the garden space, and my husband works for the local electric utility we have the infrastructure aced. All I need is guidance on how to implement.

[roseau]

11:28 AM on 07/21/2010

That wasn't echinacea pictured, unless Colorado echinacea is different from the rest of the world's echinacea. Plant identification of 100 most common would be a great basic skill in editors for green pages. I can offer you the services of my 7 year old if you need help, though.

[ponderingmuch]

08:17 PM on 07/21/2010

Looked like the echinacea I grew in my backyard in L.A. last year (snails ate them all this year).

[gbloodgood]

11:27 AM on 07/21/2010

Don't forgot Troy Gardens in Madison www.troygardens.org/

[Moshe]

11:14 AM on 07/21/2010

Hi everyone. Some of you don't know this yet, but you're going to have one of these soon.

Throughout human history, humans have had backyard and community gardens. The no-dandelions yard couch potato that never ventures out of the air condidtion and hires others to do all the manual labor is a new and short-lived sub-species.

This is a good thing though. A backyard/community garden means better health for everyone regardless of their income.

Shalom to all.

[I3addog]

11:53 AM on 07/21/2010

You would have thought that I would be the last guy on earth to have a garden and I put one in this year and I just love it. Next year it's going to be twice as big. There is something calming about nurturing plants and of course reaping the obvious awards in fresh produce. My plan is to get off the mass market train of produce. When I'm not out tending my plants I'm on youtube looking for tips, I can't get enough, I love it.

[lrobb]

12:25 PM on 07/21/2010

I have an historic house which anchors a subdivision--go figure! I have had a prolific vegetable garden for years and am now interested in branching out. Behind our house is a power line--useful for nothing but the wildflower seeds I sow every Spring. I am looking to make this huge unused space a community garden. Wish me luck as I am probably certifiably insane. Yes, gardening is incredibly calming, rewarding, fun, educational--name it.

[Moshe]

01:22 PM on 07/21/2010

Do it my friend!

I wish you great success and happiness, and I am confident you will find both in abundance.

Shalom.

[JScott]

11:03 AM on 07/21/2010

Sta Monica pic is kinda misleading, it's a view pic from the gardens of the Getty, not even Santa Monica.

[sabelmouse]

09:25 AM on 07/21/2010

i love this. power to the community gardens. that is a step in the right direction.

[Moshe]

11:15 AM on 07/21/2010

Amen friend.

[I3addog]

11:57 AM on 07/21/2010

And don't forget the Farmers markets. I just love seeing them along my path and it's even better when they are swamped with people.